DFDS SEAWAYS ANNOUNCES NEW UK SALES TEAM SET-UP

Following the implementation of a new single UK organisational structure earlier in the year, DFDS Seaways has introduced the new structure for its UK sales team.

In January, the company announced it would be bring the previous two UK organisations together to create a single organisation that was responsible for all six UK passenger ferry routes.  The re-organisation was made to help strengthen visibility and make it easier for both customers and trade to book with and work with DFDS Seaways.

The new sales team structure will be headed up by Andrew Crowe as head of sales for the UK.  He will be supported by two sales managers – Stuart Duddy and Colin Fawcus.

Stuart Duddy will be based from the Dover office and will cover sales accounts for southern England, as well as taking responsibility nationally for Coach Business.  While Colin Fawcus will be based from the Newcastle office and will cover the north of England, Scotland and Ireland; additionally he will be responsible nationally for UK retail travel agency sales.

Janet Donaldson, based in Newcastle, will continue to look after private group sales and will work with Stuart on Coach/Tour Operator business. The sales team will be supported by sales support, also based in the Newcastle office.

Andrew Crowe, head of UK sales, commented: “Now DFDS Seaways has one sales team in the UK it will make it much easier for trade accounts to book with us and ultimately work with us.  The trade accounts will have just one point of contact at DFDS Seaways that covers all of our six UK routes, which makes sense for all concerned.”

The six routes operated by DFDS Seaways in the UK include four routes covering the English Channel (Dover–Dunkirk, Dover–Calais, Newhaven–Dieppe and Portsmouth–Le Havre) and two routes covering the North Sea (Newcastle–Amsterdam and Harwich–Esbjerg).

The new single UK passenger organisation is headed by Max Foster, who has previously been heading DFDS Seaways’ joint passenger sales organisation in Germany.

DFDS Seaways was named the World Travel Awards’ ‘World’s Leading Ferry Operator’ in late 2012, as well as ‘Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator’ a few months prior to that.

For trade enquiries please contact DFDS Seaways on 191 293 6287 or email product.coordinatior@dfds.com

TRAVELPORT : ALITALIA ANNOUNCES ANCILLARY SERVICES

Alitalia is introducing a range of ancillary services on all their routes. These services will be implemented in  the UK region for agencies using Galileo and Worldspan systems.

This Travelport communication is designed to help ensure that our customers are prepared for this implementation and to support you in the steps needed to book these services effectively.  

Alitalia: did you know?      
 
   Alitalia is Italy's leading airline and among the leading players in European air transport.
     
   The Alitalia network is based at 7 airports (Rome, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Turin, Venice, Naples and Catania) to allow convenient connections between the Italian provinces and the main international and intercontinental destinations.
     
   Through its network, Alitalia ensures widespread coverage of Italy and offers directs flights to major European capitals, the countries of the Mediterranean basin and the intercontinental markets with the highest rate of development for traditional and business travel.
     
   Between 2012 and the beginning of 2013, Alitalia extended its network by adding new connections from Rome Fiumicino airport to Zurich, Abu Dhabi, Yerevan, Fortaleza and Prague. From the end of March 2013, Alitalia will continue to implement its international network expansion plan by activating 9 new international routes departing from its hub at Rome Fiumicino airport.

Alitalia will be implementing the following ancillaries on all its operated flights from Italy, and in a select group of other regions (US, Spain, UK, Belgium, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Poland, Romania, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Canada, Egypt):      
 
Additional baggage
     
   Sports equipment
     
   Lounge services
     
   Fast Track

For a full list of Alitalia ancillary services that can be sold through Travelport, please refer to our Quick Reference Guides available here:
     
   Galileo™ and Worldspan™

Introducing Electronic Miscellaneous Documents

As part of an industry wide, global initiative, airlines are increasingly introducing Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) transactional functionality for ancillary (EMD-A) and stand-alone (EMD-S) fees.

EMD transactions will also replace all types of standard traffic miscellaneous documents embracing Miscellaneous Charge Orders (vMCO) and Multi-Purpose Documents (vMPD).

EMD-S transactions will replace vMCOs and vMPDs.

The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) e-services project, industry target, is to eliminate all existing miscellaneous documents and replace with EMD in BSP countries by the end of 2013.

With this important initiative gaining momentum, Alitalia are implementing EMD-S for Ticket Fee, Rebooking Fee International, Rebooking Fee Domestic and Group Deposits from March 2013.

For further information regarding the sales conditions for the ancillary services and for further company information, please refer to the Alitalia website: http://www.alitalia.com

IMPORTANT NOTE

EMD is a key component for the payment of this ancillary offering. To ensure an efficient electronic payment model, mandated by IATA, you may be required to adapt back office processes. Please see: Are you EMD ready?

MTB 31/03/2013

BALLEARICS INTRODUCE NEW TAX ON CAR RENTAL

The government of the Balearic Islands has applied for a new law to collect an ecological tax on customers hiring a car in the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera), reports holiday autos. The new tax is likely to come into effect on April 1st 2013.

The new rental car tax / environmental tax will be part of a package of tax rises to help the Balearics re-balance the budget in 2013.

If the government implements the proposed tax, customers who are due to collect a vehicle as of April 1st 2013 will have to pay an additional fee of between €3.50 and €9.00 (subject to change) charged per car rental day with the amount of tax levied dependent on the size of the vehicle hired.

holiday autos' Spanish car hire partners, who provide the vehicles booked through the company, are still awaiting final details of the proposed legislation and how the charges will impact clients.

holiday autos has put together a comprehensive FAQ section - focusing on this topic - on its website.

Comments the car rental operator, "At holiday autos we have always believed it is vitally important that we are transparent with our partners on what charges are included in the total cost of our products. The new rental tax, if it becomes law, may have to be additionally paid for direct to the car hire provider on collection of your clients’ hire car. The amount (of tax) due will be shown clearly on the rental voucher.

Holiday Autos would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience caused by this new tax being introduced by the local government, which is out of our and travel agents' control."

MTB 17/03/2013

GLASGOW AIRPORT REPORTS PASSENGER GROWTH FOR FEBRUARY 2013

More than 423,000 people travelled through Glasgow Airport in February, representing year-on-year growth of 2.1% after adjusting for 2012 being a leap year.

Growth in February was driven by domestic services and the demand for travel to London in particular, while international traffic was in line with 2012.

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “It is encouraging that our passenger numbers showed modest growth in February which was largely due to the strength of our domestic services.

“February was a busy month in terms of route development with Air Malta confirming it will introduce a new weekly service in May and the first Wizz Air flights to Gdansk and Warsaw have now been launched. We also unveiled details of an additional £10 million of investment for 2013, on top of an already planned £7 million, to improve our passenger-facing facilities ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

“We are now looking forward to the commencement of the busy summer schedule in April as well as Lufthansa’s inaugural flight to Düsseldorf on Monday 8 April.”

MTB 17/03/2013

GLASGOW + Jet2.com OFFER CHANCE TO WIN FLIGHTS

From Kenny Donnelly, Glasgow Airport ...


It's all go at Glasgow with Jet2.com! Your clients can now fly direct to 18 incredible destinations direct from
Glasgow Airport. That includes a trio of top new destinations for summer 2013 - Menorca, Murcia and Croatia. Plus the city favourites of Barcelona and Rome are now year round, flying through Summer 13 and
in to next winter season.


As a thank you for booking your clients from Glasgow Airport, we are giving you the chance to win 2 return flights to Rome, Barcelona, or our latest destination, Croatia with Jet2.com in our prize draw - the choice is yours!


More details and claim forms from GLAtradesupport@glasgowairport.com


Kenny

PS : Also, we now have travel agents' discounts for car parking at the airport: weekend rate is £20, up to 7 nights is £20 and £30 for 14 nights.

KD 11/03/13

RSSC'S UK MD RE-ITERATES THE 'VALUE' MESSAGE

From the desk of Graham Sadler, Managing Director UK, Regent Seven Seas Cruises

With the horse meat scandal seeming to run on like my tip on last year's Grand National, it has given cause to question our perception of value and labeling.  Sometimes, what you think you are receiving and the reality of what you actually receive, isn't necessarily what you were led to believe you would receive!

As consumers, we're always asking for more, but cheaper.  We asked for cheaper food. The supermarkets told the manufacturers to find a cheaper way of producing food. Yet somewhere we've been misled along the way. It's easy to shave a penny off here, a pound there, but inevitably there are consequences. Yet we tend to ignore these as we wallow in our belief we got a bargain.

What is cheap? What is value? What is luxury? And can you have it all?

The reality is NO, you can't.  It's just possible to have 'cheap and value' and definitely 'luxury and value' but you simply can't have 'luxury and cheap'. It just doesn't exist and personally, I don't believe it ever has or ever will.  A few years ago you could buy lovely cheap houses in Dunwich, Suffolk, they have all now slipped into the North Sea. Remember those cheap Lancia's that rusted within a year?

The definition of cheap is 'of very poor quality, relatively low in price or to charge low prices'.

If we want something genuine and special then we have to pay for it. Anything less and we can expect it to be a watered-down version, mixed with inferior ingredients, alien to what we expected and thought we paid for.

The old adage 'you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear' is hundreds of years old. The concept is nothing new. Yet we still expect to buy a Mercedes for the price of a Fiat! We've all looked to seek out that hidden bargain without even thinking 'why is it a bargain'?  There's nothing wrong in that, but just because something is cheap, doesn't necessarily make it a bargain.

So what should we look for?  The key here is VALUE. This is what it's all about.  VALUE is the holy grail of buying anything. Nobody wants to pay more than something is worth. The result is a feeling of exploitation and being conned. No matter what the budget is, the overriding concern should be whether the price is reliable and whether you understand exactly what you will receive for your money and does it represent good value for money?

The definition of value is 'the quality that renders something desirable or valuable'.

If you want something luxurious that gives you a special feeling that only something truly luxurious can, then the reality is you pay the appropriate price.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises® offers the ultimate in luxury and has acquired a unique position over traditional cruise lines by providing the best value for the very best that cruising has to offer. We have taken every element of the cruise experience, applied and measured the very best against a value proposition and sprinkled it with a whole heap of style besides. Our guests demand it. They are prepared to pay for it. So we give them more than they expect and this is the VALUE of a Regent cruise.

One price, payable upfront giving total budget security that includes everything needed to enjoy a luxurious cruise holiday. This is unrivalled by any other holiday operator, on land or sea.  Not, 'almost inclusive but not quite so we can extract more cash from you' inclusive.  We're fully inclusive of everything that sensibly should be included!

For 2013, our one price covers everything:

A luxuriously appointed balcony suite (minimum 301 sq ft) with marble bathroom,  shower and/or bath, walk-in wardrobe, large European King sized beds, sitting area, TV/DVD player, complimentary mini-bar, fruit bowl, bottle of Champagne on arrival
Flights and transfers
Overnight first class hotel pre-cruise*
All meals onboard
Speciality dining at no extra charge
24-hours room service at no extra charge
Free wine at meals at no extra charge
Free drinks from the bars at any time at no extra charge
Free Champagne at no extra charge
Free speciality teas and coffees at no extra charge
Free entertainment at no extra charge
Free fitness classes at no extra charge
First class personal service and no gratuities
Free unlimited excursions at no extra charge
Of course, there are things you can purchase onboard, but it's completely discretionary. Our all-inclusive features on their own will provide a luxurious experience.

Casino
Spa
Beauty Salon
Vintages wines and Champagnes
Boutique purchases
Telephone calls
Internet (free after sailing 21 nights with Regent)
Regent Choice excursions
Only Regent includes the lot! And this is only the beginning. To be truly luxurious, it's the quality that really matters. Prime and expensive ingredients are served in our restaurants, expensive cuts of meat, expensive fish and seafood and the freshest of fruit and vegetables as well as speciality teas and coffees. Named premium brand liquors and Champagne are served at our bars and over 20 high quality fine wines are served up - all included within our one-off fare. You could literally leave your wallet at home! Furthermore you have an average of six excursions to choose from in every port, morning, afternoon or evening.

One price, amazing value, no irritating extras.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is the most inclusive luxury cruise experiences and I'm not 'horsing' around!

GS 11/03/2013

EXTRA SUMMER FLIGHTS BY Flybe IN SCOTLAND

Leading regional airline boosts key routes with more flights and larger aircraft as part of extensive 2013 Summer schedule

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has announced a series of additional flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports that include two new Saturday services to Manchester from 6th April, with one way flights available from £39.99 including taxes and airport charges.

In addition to these new Manchester flights, Flybe is increasing the frequency of its weekday flights to East Midlands Airport from both Edinburgh and Glasgow with extra middle of the day services, so upping to four flights a day from three effective April 1st: and Flybe will also be boosting the number of seats available on its three Saturday services between Edinburgh and Southampton by using a larger 118-seat Embraer 195 jet aircraft.

Details of Additional Scheduled Flights

MANCHESTER
Edinburgh – Manchester
Saturdays from 6th April, 2013

Dep      Edinburgh        0650                Arr       Manchester     0800
Dep      Manchester     0840                Arr       Edinburgh        0945


Glasgow – Manchester
Saturdays from 6th April, 2013

Dep      Glasgow          0640                Arr       Manchester     0755
Dep      Manchester     0840                Arr       Glasgow          0950


EAST MIDLANDS
Edinburgh – East Midlands
Additional weekday flight from 1st April

Dep      Edinburgh        1050                Arr       East Midlands             1200
Dep      East Midlands 1225                Arr       Edinburgh        1325


Glasgow – East Midlands
Additional weekday flight from 1st April

Dep      Glasgow          1015                Arr       East Midlands 1125
Dep      East Midlands             1150                Arr       Glasgow          1300


Andrew Strong, Flybe UK MD comments: “We’re pleased to be offering our passengers the added choice of extra Saturday flights between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.  The move highlights our commitment to listening to our customers’ needs and providing them with convenient, affordable travel for weekend summer breaks.

“The two new services also reflect the increasing importance our passengers are putting on our regional hub at Manchester Airport that is being used increasingly not only for seamless domestic and European connections through our extended Flybe network, but also as a fast and more convenient connection for onward long haul travel for those wanting to avoid the hassle of Heathrow.

“We also expect our increased weekday services between Scotland and East Midlands Airport to benefit those business passengers needing more travel options meaning they can manage their time more efficiently.”

Flybe offers a choice of up to 1,412 domestic and 86 European flights a week from 13 Scottish airports.*

MB 04/03/2013

VS ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF DOMESTIC SERVICE - LITTLE RED

IN THE RED CORNER! SIR RICHARD BRANSON LAYS DOWN GAUNTLET AS VIRGIN ATLANTIC ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF DOMESTIC FLIGHT SERVICE, LITTLE RED

·         Virgin Atlantic’s first-ever domestic flight service will be known as Little Red and will launch on 31st March in Manchester, 5thApril in Edinburgh and 9th April in Aberdeen.

·         There will be 26 daily flights between London Heathrow and Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen offering new choice to passengers who have faced monopoly prices on UK domestic flights from Heathrow

Nearly 30 years after launching Virgin Atlantic to bring a new challenger to long-haul flying from the UK, Sir Richard Branson is now bringing the fight to home turf – with the launch of the brand new ‘Little Red’ domestic service.

Bringing a splash of red to the sky, Branson’s Little Red service will offer four daily round-trips between London Heathrow and Manchester, six daily round-trips to Edinburgh and a further three daily round-trips to Aberdeen. An extra service was added to Manchester last week, offering four flights a day instead of the three originally planned, to give passengers even more flexibility and offer even better connections to Virgin’s worldwide network.

Virgin Atlantic Little Red will be offering a taste of the customer service Virgin Atlantic is world-renowned for with free 23kg luggage check-ins, pre-assigned seats, complimentary snacks and drinks and even hot breakfasts on early morning flights. A series of exclusive brand partnerships have been lined up for passengers including specially created Tyrrells crisps – ‘Plane crisps’ made from miniature potatoes, a variety of exclusive miniature spirits from Bacardi Martini and Scotland’s favourite drink, Irn Bru on the Scottish services. Virgin Atlantic is also exploring further exciting on-board product offerings, from Krispy Kreme doughnuts to The Collective Dairy yoghurts topped with Rude Health granola.

After successfully bidding to the European Commission for the Heathrow slots made available after British Airway’s parent company IAG took over bmi, the airline that flies in the face of ordinary is restoring competition on these three routes which have faced a monopoly since that takeover. Slots made available by IAG will be used to fly to Scotland from 5th April and Virgin Atlantic has utilised its own slots to add the Manchester service from 31st March.  

Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic founder and president, said: “Virgin Atlantic has been on an incredible journey since we started with a single plane 29 years ago. Little Red represents the next step on that journey as we go head to head with British Airways to provide domestic flights that deliver Virgin Atlantic’s rock and roll spirit as well as real value for money.

“The European Commission recognised that a British Airways monopoly would be undeniably bad for consumers and Little Red will stop British Airways dominating routes and driving higher prices.”
Virgin Atlantic’s submission to the Commission showed the IAG takeover would leave at least 1.8million Scottish passengers facing price increases and fewer flights, as well as the 300,000 small businesses served by the bmi network in Scotland, many of whom are reliant on affordable and accessible connections to London Heathrow.

The schedule of the new flights is timed to maximise connections for passengers travelling onwards from London across Virgin Atlantic’s global network. Little Red flights will operate to and from Heathrow Terminal 1 but will have excellent connections with Virgin Atlantic’s international flights from Terminal 3. There will also be early flights to serve business fliers reaching morning meetings in each city.

The new chapter in Virgin Atlantic’s history will see an increased capacity on the routes previously operated by bmi, flying almost one million passengers domestically on four Airbus 320 aircraft in the distinct Virgin colours with region-specific names chosen by lucky local competition winners, to be announced shortly.

For details on Virgin Atlantic Little Red flights go to: www.virgin-atlantic.com

MB 01/03/2013